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In April 1991, claiming a false authority under Security Council Resolution 688, the US, UK and France began to patrol the skies over northern Iraq, excluding Iraqi aircraft from this zone. The same powers started to enforce a second "no fly" zone in southern Iraq a few months later. Announced as a means to protect Iraqi Kurds (in the north) and Iraq's Shi'a population (in the south), the no-fly has offered dubious humanitarian protection, while engaging Iraq's government in ceaseless military pressure. France eventually withdrew from the no-fly process. The US-UK turned no-fly into an even more aggressive operation after 1998, when "more robust rules of engagement" have led to regular bombing of ground targets and substantial civilian casualties.
Articles
2003
Britain and the US have nearly tripled their attacks in the so-called "no-fly zone" over southern Iraq. Several hundred sorties are now being flown each day over southern Iraq, and yesterday also saw an attack on sites in western Iraq. (Independent)
In recent days, the US and Britain have increased their airstrikes against suspected missile sites in the "no-fly" zones of northern and southern Iraq. By the end of this month the number of missions is likely to overtake the 78 flown during the whole of 2002, according to the Independent.
US and British warplanes have bombed more than 80 targets in Iraq's southern "no-fly" zone over the past five months, and Monday marked the heaviest day of bombing in at least a year, even as UN weapons inspections proceed. The UN does not recognize the no-fly zones or the US assertion that it is enforcing UN resolutions. (
Washington Post)
2001
Sarah Graham-Brawn, writing for MERIP, seizes the situation of the recent bombings of Baghdad to present a rich analyzis of no-fly zones as an instrument of US policy.
2000
US pilots patrolling the Northern Iraq no-fly zone relate their stories, telling of interruptions to their flight schedules so that “Turkish Special Missions� can bomb Kurd villages that the US is (in theory) protecting. (Washington Post)
